Smackdown's Agonist
by ReconditeAgony
Summary: The fight in the Smackdown Women's division is on. The fight is on for the Smackdown Women's Championship. And the fight is on for a new superstar, Imigie. The journey starts here.
1. The Draft

*Becky Lynch's POV*

**Flashback**

 _Wrestlemania with me verses Alexa Bliss verses Naomi verses Mickie James. Things were looking great. The crowd cheered for me and Naomi while they booed for Alexa and Mickie. All for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Naomi being the current champion. It was every woman for herself._

 _So much was at stake during this match. I was itching closer to become the two time Smackdown Women's Champion. I just had to figure out how to get two competitors out of here while finishing off another._

 _At least that was what I hoped would happen until another idea rang into my head. After delivering a pumphandle suplex to Mickie, I figured that this idea would work._

 _I first planted Mickie down, then Naomi, then Alexa on top of each other. This was definitely a smart plan._

 _I positioned for my finishing submission, the Dis-arm-her then pulled onto the arms of the three women._

 _They were all screaming in pain as the crowd began to cheer wildly. Now this was definitely a good match. I could feel it._

 _I suddenly heard the bell ring when I turned to see all three women were tapping. The crowd cheered loudly as my theme song exploded throughout the ring._

 _I could feel the tears coming down from my face in happiness as the referee handed over the Smackdown Women's Championship belt to me._

 _"And the winner of this match by submission, and the new Smackdown Women's Champion, Becky Lynch!"_

 _I hugged the title I remember first holding back at Backlash and the excitement filled all over me. I couldn't believe that I became the two time Smackdown Women's Champion._

 _The fire and energy I have exerted myself into was absolutely worth it._

**End of Flashback**

It was Raw and there was going to be another secondary WWE Draft. I was pretty sure that I was going to stay on Smackdown because I had just won the championship last night.

I had heard that some people were gonna be switching brands. Most of the brand switches would likely be coming from Raw then heading to Smackdown. I wasn't sure which ones would be switching but either way, Id be happy for them.

And of course I heard that a few people from NXT were also getting drafted. One of my favorite female performers down there, Imigie, was definitely more than ready to head up to the main roster but I wasn't sure if she would debut today or some other time. She did lose the NXT Women's title recently to Nikki Cross at NXT Takeover: Orlando. She did win the title at NXT Takeover: Toronto from Asuka.

Nikki Cross turned her sights on Ember Moon so I was sure that Ember wasn't debuting. However, Asuka and Imigie were definitely ready.

There were plentiful of NXT stars ready for the main roster. Asuka, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tye Dillinger and others waiting to get on the main roster. However, I did know that only a portion of them would actually debut on the draft day.

I checked the time on my cell phone and it read: 6:57. I was nervous. Plus, it had been a long time since I was last on Raw.

I suddenly felt someone tap on my shoulder. I turned to see a familiar raven-haired woman who I missed a lot, not just because of her being drafted to Raw but also because she was injured. I had remembered hearing that she did have neck surgery and now she was back, stronger than ever.

"Paige!" I smiled as we hugged each other.

Our friendship was a one of a kind that traveled back from the indie wrestling scene where I was a manager for the Knight family.

"How have you been?" I asked. "And how's your neck?"

"It's been tough," she replied. "Been missing being in the ring. But my neck is doing a lot better and now I'm better than ever."

I smiled, happy that she was healthy again. Injuries in general sucked but neck injuries can be worse.

Hard to believe that over a year ago, Nikki Bella had suffered from a neck injury.

At the same time, I felt Paige's pain. I remembered my own injury that I had back in the indies that took me months to recover from all before I lost my passion for wrestling.

"I heard Smackdown's been really good," Paige said. "Ever since I heard about this redraft, I hope I get drafted there."

I gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder while smiling at her.

"I'm sure you will," I replied. "You are one of the first women to bring back women's wrestling. I just hate that you and especially Emma don't get the credit that you truly deserve."

She smiled before looking down and seemingly noticed the Smackdown Women's title belt I was holding. It of course had my side plate designs since they were changed shortly after I won the title for the second time.

"You are definitely holding onto that nicely," Paige laughed. "Let's just hope that Smackdown takes me so that I can take the title."

We laughed a little bit just when we heard fireworks go off. It was time for the Raw episode, the draft.

I heard that this draft wasn't going to be like the last draft was where Shane and Stephanie went through the whole roster to pick which side they went to where. They of course were starting at their main event cards, then the women's division, the midcard division, the tag division, then the lower card division. I was definitely nervous, even if I knew that I was highly likely staying on Smackdown.

I noticed that there was a monitor with all of the NXT superstars sitting in chairs, waiting anxiously if one of them was going to be drafted.

I noticed that Imigie was sitting between Bobby Rhoode and Tye Dillinger. She looked so small in between them but I had seen her wrestling which was something I'd never expect for someone her size. She was 5'0 and barely 120 pounds but mostly because she was quite buff. She had the wrestling style of Paige, me, Natalya, Nikki Bella and Asuka. I remembered seeing her using a lot of power, strength, brawling style, technicality and a lot of brute force. She was definitely one of those women you cannot underestimate.

I secretly hoped Imigie would be drafted to Smackdown to possibly see a feud between her and Alexa Bliss, being the battle of the five foot tall women.

It was now time for the women's division. Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle were standing at the Raw side while Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan were standing at the Smackdown side.

Stephanie was the one to speak first. Paige and I stood still and held our breaths.

"Here is our first female Raw draftee," Stephanie said as she opened an envelope before reading it. "Charlotte Flair!"

I was happy for her that she was staying on Raw but I did feel a little sad that I haven't seen her for a while. Paige gave me a hug.

It was now Shane's turn to reveal the first female draftee of Smackdown.

"And our first female Smackdown draftee is..." He carefully opened an envelope as Daniel Bryan kept a close eye. "Becky Lynch!"

I couldn't hold back the squeal that escaped from my mouth. I was so excited to stay on Smackdown. Now I was hoping for Paige and Imigie to be on Smackdown. I was ready and hoping for it. I definitely needed a fresh set of competitors.

Stephanie pulled out another envelope before speaking.

"And now, our second female Raw draftee is..." She opened the envelope. Kurt though looked unsure. "Sasha Banks!"

I knew this was coming. Sasha definitely was on the Raw end of stardom. I just now had to wait for the second female draftee to Smackdown.

"Now, our second female Smackdown draftee is..." Daniel opened the envelope while Shane strayed close. "Paige!"

Paige let out a squeal then bursted into tears of happiness. I couldn't believe it! Paige and I were going to continue our friendship journey on Smackdown and I was ready for it.

Stephanie now was next to speak. I was definitely nervous for who it would be, especially after my joy fest with me staying on Smackdown and Paige being drafted to Smackdown.

"Our next female Raw draftee is," Stephanie said as Kurt opened the envelope. "Asuka!"

From another screen showing the NXT superstars, Asuka stood up, nearly crying in happiness. I kinda wished she was on Smackdown but I wasn't going good to complain.

Shane then was ready to reveal the third female draft pick for Smackdown. I was now nervous.

"And the third female draft pick for Smackdown is..."

I noticed that Daniel's hands were slightly trembling when he opened the envelope. I wondered why.

Then my answer was given, just seeing a huge grin on his face. Even Shane looked even more pleased.

"Imigie!"

From the monitor showing the NXT Superstars, Imigie stood up, the shock, happiness and surprise shown on her face. She was practically crying.

Bobby Rhoode, Tye Dillinger and Nikki Cross all came to hug her. It was such a sweet thing to watch.

I turned next to me and saw Paige crying again of happiness.

Paige and I have both been intrigued in Asuka and especially Imigie. Poor Asuka was on Raw but Imigie definitely would be the woman to show the potential she had to becoming the Smackdown Women's Champion.

I turned to my right to already see Mauro Ranallo, one of the Smackdown commentators just standing there with a smile on his face.

He then turned to Paige.

"Welcome to Smackdown, Paige," he said. "It is the land of opportunity so the girls will definitely tell you everything, especially Becky."

Paige smiled as she hugged him and I just stood there, smiling.

The draft continued for the other women. Everyone else basically stayed in the same brands.

Smackdown was stacked. It was me, Paige, Imigie, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Nikki Bella (even though she was taking some time off to sort out her neck pains), Mickie James, Natalya, Maryse and Naomi.

This was going to be good. I overheard that Carmella would likely be the next Smackdown Women's Champion but only for a month before losing it to Paige. I wondered if that was actually true and if it was, how long would it be before Carmella takes it?

I was just purely determined to hold my championship with a death grip. There were two new draftees who were anxiously waiting for the championship. Much to my surprise, they were both faces.

We were all ready now with a total of ten women. Five faces and five heels. We were ready.


	2. Sudden News

*Alexa Bliss' POV*

I couldn't help but smile at the new draftees.

Paige was definitely one of the first women to really showcase women's wrestling. She proved that she was a fighter with winning the NXT Women's Championship then later winning the Divas Championship, twice.

Imigie on the other hand was one hell of a thriving star from NXT. Not just because of her character and her wrestling. Like me, she was basically a five foot wrestler but unlike me and other five foot female wrestlers, Imigie was the powerhouse. It was what granted her to become the NXT Women's Champion by defeating Asuka.

I almost thought Asuka would have beaten Paige's 308 day record but she came up short. Paige still had that record sitting with her.

Nevertheless, we had two former NXT Women's Champions on Smackdown which was amazing.

It was SmackdownLive and both Paige and Imigie were having their first matches on Smackdown. Paige was going against Natalya while Imigie was facing Maryse.

I was ready to watch it happen. These women were definitely going to tear the house down.

I felt someone bump into me which scared me a little. I looked up to see it was Becky Lynch, holding the Smackdown Women's Championship.

"I've been hearing rumors that Imigie is very likely going to wrestle against the men too," she said.

A surprised expression was shown on my face. I was definitely not even expecting it to happen. Imigie was only five feet, an inch shorter than me but already wrestling against men? Damn!

"She's definitely a one of a kind for the women's division," I replied. "Just wait for when I have to face her. Five feet of fury verses the five foot powerhouse."

Both of us ended up giggling before we departed from each other.

I was ready to watch what the new girls were made of.

*Paige's POV*

I had just finished putting on my gear. It was nothing more than my shorts and top from Wrestlemania 32. I also had on my infamous black Dr. Martens boots. My raven black hair was wavy, barely in curls.

I was ready for my first ever match being on Smackdown. I also heard that we had one new girl from NXT brought to Smackdown. I think her name was Imigie. I remembered seeing her in the ring and she was amazing in the ring.

I had to focus on my match against Natalya. It was my first ever match on Smackdown.

I was very happy when my best friend Becky became a two time Smackdown Women's Champion but I knew that eventually, I would get to walk with the title with me.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a road to get to become the champion but I was ready, regardless.

I was standing in the guerrilla, waiting for my theme song to play. I have done this process many times but I was still nervous. Maybe it was because I was now on the Smackdown brand and not switching back and forth like I used to.

After a small series of commercials, I saw a male announcer standing in the middle of the ring. This was it. I was now about to showcase exactly what I was capable of.

The sound of a familiar scream erupted throughout the arena, quickly followed by a surprisingly louder sounding crowd.

I walked out of the guerrilla to the cheering crowd. Before, I used to do a side skip but with my character being kinda repackaged to allow a little more freedom for me, I dumped the side skip and instead, I made a generic walk down to the ring.

"The following contest is a women's division match scheduled for one fall," I heard the announcer say. "Introducing first, from Norwich, England, Paige!"

I was definitely excited but I wasn't sure if it was because of my first match on the Smackdown brand or the massive pop for me. Regardless, I was sure that the fans missed me greatly.

I got to the ropes then dipped back then let out my signature scream. Unsurprisingly, the crowd loved that. It just felt so good to be back actually wrestling in the ring.

I was quite surprised to see that Shane and Daniel seemed to take a good liking for me.

I got into the ring then positioned myself to show that I was ready to fight.

I pretty much had most of my NXT character back with a hint of my character when I arrived at the main roster. I would show Shane that I was ready to become the future Smackdown Women's Champion.

A new theme song played, one that all too familiar. Boos erupted through the ring. I knew it all too well.

"And her opponent, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Natalya!"

I lifted my chin in then squared my shoulders, eager to show exactly what I had to offer.

The ring bell rang, signaling for the start of the match.

Oh man, I missed being in the ring so much, especially with my neck injury but now I was back, better than ever.

I immediately charged to Natalya before delivering a kick to her.

Nattie let out a chuckle, seemingly amused at my actions. She gave me a clothesline, smirking sadistically.

This sent anger into me and all I wanted was to fight.

This was definitely going to be a back and forth fight but I didn't care about that.

It resulted in more clotheslines, submissions, reversals, slams, powerbombs, drop kicks and other insane stuff.

It soon got to the point when I completely snapped.

I gave Natalya a fallaway slam before positioning her into my submission hold, the PTO, a scorpion crosslock that I had adopted from Bull Nakano.

Natalya was trapped and unsure what to do. I just held on tighter until Natalya had no choice but to tap out.

My theme song played and I smiled at my spectacular debut to Smackdown. Goodbye Raw, you were once loyal to me. Hello Smackdown, you're good to me.

"Here is your winner by submission, Paige!"

I just smiled at the crowd, more than pleased at my victory. I was sure that Shane and Daniel were pleased with me and wanted to do more with me. At least that was what I hoped.

I had just walked backstage when I suddenly heard voices. It sounded like two people were yelling at each other.

Curious, I walked closer to where the voices were coming from and my jaw dropped open in shock.

Maryse seemed like she was arguing with Daniel Bryan? Why was she arguing with him?

I just kept quiet and heard every single word that Daniel and Maryse said.

"Daniel, are you kidding me?" Maryse snapped. "I'm suppose to be picture perfect for when I have to valet my husband and you really want me to go up against someone who would want to mess me up?"

"Maryse," Daniel tried to calm her down. "Imigie is one of our next top faces of the company along with Paige. We want to really give Imigie a good build up to aid her in getting her to win the Smackdown Women's Championship in the future. Maybe you'll learn something from her."

I heard Maryse gasp in shock. So it seemed like Maryse didn't want to compete against Imigie.

I gave a quiet giggle, knowing that she never seemed to show her true ability in the ring.

But then again, Maryse was a model while Imigie wrestled around in Texas.

I heard Daniel sigh before deciding to say anything more.

"Ugh, fine Maryse," he groaned. "But I will find another opponent for Imigie. She cannot go tonight without competing. But you will have to face her at some point. Like I said, she's one of our valuable competitors in the women's division as one of the top faces as well as Paige and Becky Lynch. That's the last time you'll back out from a match against her. Period."

Maryse sighed, sounding frustrated before meeting her husband, The Miz who looked like he was smirking. I knew he was smirking at the fact that his wife chickened out of a match against Imigie and the thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

No one before had backed out from a match against Imigie before so to see Maryse do it made me angry. Maybe I could get a little taste of Maryse. She was snobby after all and I was definitely no fan for snobby types.

My victory was just the start but I began to have an uneasy feeling that Maryse may have found out about me eavesdropping on her conversation with Daniel.

Regardless, I was determined to keep myself focused.


	3. A Surprise Opponent

(Little Note, I will be adding other OCs as well. I won't specify which ones exactly right now in this small author's note because I don't want to put up any spoilers)

*Imigie's POV*

I had just finished getting ready for my match.

I had my gear on which was a black tank top with the strap of it around the back of my neck, black jeans shorts and black combat boots. I also had on black fingerless gloves with some dark blue tears on them.

I also had my makeup on which was nothing more than a smokey eye look that wasn't very heavy, something I preferred.

My hair was in tight waves, almost curly but not quite curly.

I quickly examined myself in the mirror, satisfied with my look before I walked out of the locker room, kinda fast due to my nervousness and excitement.

I was much too anxious about my first match on the main roster but I didn't completely pay attention to who was in front of me.

Out of pure embarrassment, I bumped into something... or someone then gasped in horror, trying to catch my breath.

There stood Shane McMahon who was trying to calm me down from my sudden freak attack.

"Whoa, slow down there Imigie," he tried to reassure me as I continued trying to catch my breath. "I know you're nervous for your match but don't scare yourself like that."

He gave a quiet chuckle as he comforted me before giving me a slightly serious expression on his face.

"Good thing you somehow accidentally stopped by," he continued. "I actually need to talk to you about something."

I felt an uneasy feeling at the pit of my stomach as my heart thundered. I had no idea if this was going to be good or bad.

"It's about your match," Shane said. "Your original opponent, Maryse won't comply with the opportunity to wrestle against you."

I shook my head, knowing fully well why Maryse refused to face me.

"But, we can't just leave you without a match tonight," Shane said. "The other girls are already booked, Nikki Bella is taking time off to deal with her injury so I may put you against one of the men on the roster. Besides, I've seen you fight men in NXT and you definitely show you aren't afraid to face them. I just don't know who. I don't want to tell you who though. That will be a surprise."

I nodded, a little excited about this opportunity that I was going to be given.

Of course there were lots of guys on the roster even before the draft but they weren't alone. Lots of new guys had came up on the Smackdown roster besides just me and Paige.

Shinsuke Nakamura was definitely one of them. Other stars that were coming up from NXT onto Smackdown included Toby Age, Thomas Knight, Percy Boorne, Keith, Gordon Payne, Tye Dillinger, Montague and many others.

I wasn't sure who I'd be up against but since Shane did say I was highly likely going to be wrestling against one of the men.

I ran to the guerrilla as I watched Becky Lynch and her challenger Naomi in the ring talking. I saw Becky holding the Smackdown Women's Championship which made me smile.

I knew I was after them as well as my mystery opponent but that's another story.


	4. Searing Sorrow

*Imigie's POV*

Smackdown Women's Champion Becky Lynch and Naomi had just finished their segment and it was time for a commercial break.

I was anxious about my match as I waited for the commercial break to be over.

Earlier, I had saw Paige beat Natalya for her first match on Smackdown which was incredible.

I was just ready to get this match on the road and I had no doubts about that.

I knew I was going against a man so I put myself through a test earlier today by deadlifting 250 pounds. That was very interesting but nevertheless, I got it done and I was ready to go out there.

My theme song began to play and the pop for me exploded the entire arena. I couldn't believe how pretty awesome this was as I walked to the arena.

"The following match is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from Austin, Texas, Imigie!"

I gave a little kind gestures to the fans, extremely pleased to be here.

I got to the ring between the first and second rope then stood there, waiting for my opponent to come out.

Out of surprise, I noticed Renee Young standing in the middle of the ring. I didn't know why she was there but I decided to maybe wonder what she had to ask me.

"Imigie, welcome to Smackdown Live and we're all open arms for you but I know you were originally scheduled to compete against Maryse but she has refused to comply," Renee said. "And of course you were told earlier that you may have no choice but to fight against a man. Give us your thoughts."

I knew the answer to that would be too damn easy as I took a deep breath, ready say something.

"Renee," I said sternly. "I welcome a fight against anyone. It could be with the time keeper or it could be-"

I turned and pointed to JBL who didn't looked too pleased that I was calling him out.

"It could be JBL," I continued. "Who's probably disrespected the likes of us true Texans who aren't afraid to fight."

The crowd oohed at my comment, knowing that I might have dragged him. But now I had to get back on topic.

"But seriously," I said. "Ever since I first stepped a foot into the WWE, I have stood for a fight. Since then, I have stuck to my guns when I won the NXT Women's Championship and I have poured my fights and my sorrows on it until the day I lost it. But now, I'm on a new chapter. I'm here on Smackdown Live and I have a new goal to hit. That goal is to become the Smackdown Women's Champion. How long is it gonna take, you ask? I don't know. But no matter what, I will battle through the obstacles that will stand in my way and those who are afraid of me will never know what's getting to them. Speaking of those who are afraid of me, Maryse. Well, if she wants to run away from me, that's her deal. But soon, she'll get what's coming for her. I know having a woman debut in a match against a man here in the WWE is an extremely rare occurrence but I'm here to solidify my stance as a lesson for Maryse who would rather spend her days with her husband carrying them Louis Vuittons rather than standing up like a real woman should. But every woman in the locker room will know that Searing Sorrow is here to stay!"

The crowd cheered loudly for me as we waited for who would come out. During this, Renee got out of the ring quickly as I just stared at the titantron.

Eventually, the crowd grew silent as I just waited patiently. There were so many guys here on Smackdown Live who could definitely make their appearance and show Maryse that they weren't afraid to fight.

After about a few minutes, I heard a familiar song play but it wasn't Carmella who was competing. It was her valet, James Ellsworth.

The crowd was laughing, probably from embarrassment that I would probably end him in a squash match.

James got into the ring as I laughed a bit to myself, knowing fully well it would be easy to end him.

The bell rang, signaling for the match to start as I immediately went for a kick to the groin.

James tried to kick back but I countered it into a German suplex.

Even with the amount of strength I had, I was fast too. I guess being strong and fast made an interesting combination for me.

James punched me through the chest but I wasn't having any of it.

I gave him a pumphandle suplex before positioned James for my scorpion crosslock submission, Searing Sorrow.

James tapped out almost immediately as I dropped him then smiled at myself for being this quick at defeating him.

However, new music came on and I instantly recognized who it was.

Shane McMahon's music stopped playing as he prepared to say something, the microphone in hand did speak that he had something for me.

"Congratulations for your win, Imigie," he said a little apprehensively. "But, James is not your opponent. He was just a filler for you while your actual opponent got ready. But he is ready to to come out to face you."

I was shocked when I heard this. At the same time, I nodded a bit with a small smirk on my face. Maybe that was why James was so easy to beat.

"Anyway," Shane continued. "Imigie, I introduce your new opponent; from Corpus Christi, Texas; weighing 245 pounds; Toby Age."

New music came on and the crowd thundered loudly, however, not a loud as they popped for me but still loud enough for me to not be able to hear my own thoughts.

The man who was coming down the ring was rather slender but muscular with tan colored skin. His serious six pack was no joke, defining his athletic lines. Damn! They were much more evident now than they were when I was in NXT.

He quickly got into the ring through the middle rope as he made his way to me. There was a serious height difference. He was tall, about six foot six while I was a short five feet. I didn't care. I had deadlifted two hundred and fifty pounds recently so I had no issue trying to pick him up.

The bell rang as Toby and I locked up, trying to fumble for the control of the match. I heard Mauro Ranallo's excited voice over us, probably pleased to see two new superstars from NXT on Smackdown Live.

I managed to fight back with an Irish whip to the turn buckle then took him on a little ride with the alley oop bomb.

He answered with kick to the gut, causing me to wince at the pain as I went down on one knee.

It didn't take me long to come up with an answer. I answered with a clotheline then gave him a German suplex.

I didn't want to pin him right away since it was way too early in the match. He would kick out and there was no way in hell I was going to end this match early.

I was here to show that WWE could easily have a men verses women match and they'd be just as just as passionate in the ring as your average match in a WWE ring. A match like this very one was a way for me to prove that these kinds of matches didn't need love stories ending badly.

Toby went for a side tackle. This was something I never expected but the impact was rather quite painful.

He then went for a cross arm breaker, pulling my arm so much that it felt like someone was pulling it out of its socket.

The pain was setting in and I gasped. Sure, I've been in these submissions before but this one was excruciating. I wasn't going to give up though. Giving in would be in my last mistake. I had to think of something to help me escape.

Just five seconds later, I thought of an escape plan, or more so a reversal. I had high resilience which got me at a big advantage.

I rolled towards Toby, standing up in the process. My next two moves were the other things that would really get the crowd rolling.

I pulled Toby up with the amount of strength I had. I lifted him up just above my chest then threw him down, into a power bomb. The crowd cheered loudly over the amount of strength, agility and resilience I had to showcase.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" The crowd chanted, expressions shocked over what happened.

That was when it happened. I positioned Toby into my finishing submission, Searing Sorrow, regardless of my arm still trying to push away the pain from earlier.

Toby tapped on the mat just after five seconds of me holding on to the submission. I let him go as the bell rung for the match's end, my theme song playing during that.

"Here is your winner by submission, Imigie!"

I couldn't believe I was victorious from my first ever match on the main roster. The way how I pulled it off though gave a hell lot more executing vibes from this.

From being stuck into the Cross arm bar, to pulling Toby up, to slamming him down, to putting him in my submission, to him tapping out.

The burning sensation on my arm was still taking time to subside but that didn't matter to me. What mattered to me was that I pulled this off so well.

The fact that I even was given the opportunity to go against a man was something beyond unexpected but I was very honored to do such a thing. If Maryse didn't want to face me, then I welcomed other challenges.

I celebrated my victory until I felt someone push me down to the ground. The impact was rather painful. I was in a daze for only a few seconds.

I looked up and an expression of sorrow was clear on my face when I saw who my attacker was.

It was the same woman who chickened out of the match that I was suppose to have: Maryse.


	5. Talking Smack

*Imigie's POV*

I had just found out that I was going to be one of the guests for an after Smackdown Live show called Talking Smack, which I found was one heck of an amazing opportunity. If this meant talking about what had happened earlier and venting around my frustrations over the events earlier, I was all up and ready for it.

The other two guests on the show with me were Paige and Becky Lynch, who would very likely be on at the same time that I was on. I wasn't bothered at all with having them be on at the same time that I was on, even if it meant two separate feuds. All three of us being on at the same time would easily make a grand connection to the women's division on a whole. Not just the Smackdown Women's division, not just the Raw Women's division, hell, not even the NXT Women's division. It was for the entire division on a whole and I was honored to represent that and to spread my own message.

"Time to move on," Renee Young said as she turned to Daniel Bryan. "The women's division has been getting really spiced up lately since WrestleMania. First, it happened when the first ever Smackdown Women's Champion, Becky Lynch pulled the victory to become the two time Smackdown Women's Champion. What a victory for the Irish Lass Kicker! Then earlier tonight, we witnessed the debuts of two women. One woman actually returned from being out of action over a neck injury, the former NXT Women's Champion and former two time Divas Champion, the mysterious raven-haired lady, Paige. And the other debut to Smackdown Live was actually a former NXT Women's Champion, having an incredible debut by having matches against the men. That takes courage for a very young superstar to put herself through, proclaimed as the five-foot powerhouse, the Agonist of WWE, Imigie."

"Yes you are definitely right, Renee," Daniel replied as Becky, Paige, and I quietly made our way to our seats. "The competition has been brilliant. Shane and I were really discussing to be our NXT pick and Raw pick to come to Smackdown. To say the least, it wasn't easy. The women are just amazing but in the end, for our NXT pick, we chose Imigie. And for our Raw pick, we chose Paige. But regardless, the women's division has really not just created history on its own but it even did so with the men. The reason why I picked Paige for the Raw woman to come to Smackdown is because she's one of the greatest women wrestlers today. At a young age, she has the talent in the world that very few women are actually capable of keeping up with. She was a former NXT Women's Champion and a former two time Divas Champion, being the youngest superstar to hold those titles, even holding them consistently. She also brings a dark mystique to the women's division with her unique look and signature scream which easily brings a sign that the women's division is to be put on notice. She was also born into a family of wrestlers who actually taught her how to wrestle, hence her immense skill in the ring, some may argue that she's already considered a veteran in the ring. I even find her to be relentless with her signature 'This Is My House' and 'I'm not here to be a cover girl, I'm here to cover girls in the middle of that ring and win' mentality which warn the other women that she's 's not a good guy or a bad guy. She simply just wants to fight and win."

Renee applauded to his words about Paige, a smile easily showing on her face. But, then again, most days, it was impossible to imagine her without smiling all the time.

"Oh, and speaking of relentless, we also saw the debut of Imigie," Daniel continued. "There is a reason why I picked Imigie to be on the Smackdown roster, coming from NXT. She has brought another type of dark presence into the women's division. She's not like any ordinary five foot woman to enter the WWE. She is the five-foot powerhouse which might bring fellow five-footer, known to be five feet of fury, Alexa Bliss some competition in the future. Imigie may be small but her strength, power, and passion are big. She uses her little motto 'I Stand and Fight' to help her get through her matches, even if it means possibly losing the matches on some occasions. She carried her message that regardless of her size, she isn't afraid to fight. She allows that message to carry her through NXT, especially when she won the NXT Women's Championship. And now, she's ready to start a fresh one by fighting in the pursuit to become the Smackdown Women's Champion. Being the one to end Asuka's undefeated streak from NXT Takeover Respect to NXT Takeover Brooklyn II. And Imigie had been in NXT for quite a long time, actually. She debuted in NXT on July 31, 2014, trying to put out her message. And it looked like she was inches closer to going on top when she joined now current Raw superstar, Janalyn which lasted for only a few weeks before Janalyn dumped Imigie. However, Imigie was able to be granted the opportunity to the NXT Women's Championship at NXT Takeover The End after winning the number one contender's match against Janalyn. Then she went to become the NXT Women's Champion after that at NXT Takeover Brooklyn II, carrying that title with passion and heart. And then she held that title all the way until NXT Takeover Orlando. And she's here simply to stand and fight."

"Yes indeed," Renee replied. "And now we welcome our guests, the Smackdown Women's Champion Becky, Paige, and Imigie!"

The camera turned to the three of us. We were already sitting down in our seats, waiting anxiously for what questions Daniel and Renee were gonna ask us.

"Oh anyway," Renee said. "You ladies have really done the deal for the division. I'll start off with Becky."

"Alright, I'm already to tell the world that there's a lot of straight fiya with this champ," Becky smiled. "You see, I got the title, and now I'm keeping it real tight from anyone who thinks they can take this from me. I've fought for far too long to try to take it back and it's all been worth it. I'm fighting to keep this title longer than the first time I had it. And there's gonna be a lot of football fire in this reign."

Daniel was about to speak but he was interrupted. It wasn't Becky that was speaking now. It was Paige.

"I knew I had to return and reclaim my house. The pain I've been through during my neck injury. The surgery, it was scary as hell but I'm back to continue my message. I came here to fight. I'm not here to be a cover girl. I'm here to cover girls in the middle of that ring and win."

Before Daniel and Renee could open their mouths to speak again, I was the one to speak this time. However, this time, I had a lot more to say.

"Everything that I've been through has lead me to where I am. It's not wrong to say that I've been through pain, I've suffered, and I've been thrown to the ground. Those scars actually mean much more to me than anyone else can decipher. I've been through hell on my journey to become the NXT Women's Champion. Now it's time for me to mark a new journey to become the Smackdown Women's Champion."

I turned to Becky who looked terrified but just couldn't hold it in seriously.

"Sorry Becky," I giggled. "I'm gonna have to fight in order to get that opportunity for the title. But anyway—"

I turned to Daniel and Renee.

"I'm here to pour out my heart into every fight I'm thrown into. The agony that's going with it will remind me to push through it, regardless. I'm here for one message. I will stand and fight with the Searing Sorrow ready and waiting."

However, the golden topic that Daniel and Renee hit me like a slap to the face. I signaled them to not say a word because I already knew what they were going to ask.

"Yes, I know what you're going to ask. About me getting attacked by Maryse after my match against Toby Age. Honestly, what the hell was Maryse's motive for attacking me? Does she not like my unique look? Does she not like my message? Is she threatened by someone who had to scratch, claw, and pave their way to get where they want to be? Is she gonna cling to her husband, The Miz because she's afraid of me? What the hell is her motive? I honestly don't know but I'm want answers. She needs to give me the answers and to not hide like the coward she is. She might as well laugh at me in agony while I'm left in the damn dark!"

Frustrated, I got up from my seat then left the area, needing time to myself before I could allow myself to say anything about Maryse's attack on me.

I hid between two large sound boards then crouched down, hoping that no one would see me. My heart was aching for answers that didn't show up right away which I already knew wouldn't be divulged until next week.

The thought of it made me sick to my stomach but I knew that I had to wait, regardless if I liked it or not. What I was definitely going to do was that I would allow the scars that Maryse gave me, make me stronger in the ring.


	6. Left In The Dark

*Imigie's POV*

I had just finished tying my black combat boots when I noticed a cameraman coming to me. I knew he was already coming with the questions about what happened last week, especially after walking out in anger during Talking Smack.

"Hey, Imigie," the cameraman said as I looked up rather anxiously. "I was just wanted to get an update on your mental stability, especially after walking out during Talking Smack while Renee Young and Daniel Bryan were asking you about Maryse."

I sighed, knowing that this was coming. The amount of emotions swarm into my head like angry wasps plotting their attack on a victim. The thought of remembering what I had done left an aching pain on my heart, almost enough to make me sad but I had to push through.

"You know, I feel really bad about walking out on them," I replied, trying to sound bold. "It's just...what the hell have I done to make Maryse so hostile towards me after cowering away from a match against me. I only had one message is that I am here to stand and fight. Like, what was Maryse afraid of? Why am I the one being targeted? Why the hell am I being left in the dark like this?"

My voice was beginning to quiver as I spoke. I could tell that I was close to tears. The pain of knowing why had happened only pushed those feelings deep inside of me, leaving a raw wound in my heart.

"I wish I could say I would be be able to push this all behind me and move forward," I continued. "And I'm only starting but I need answers!"

I walked off, now determined to find Daniel Bryan. I needed to tell him how sorry I was for walking out on Talking Smack and explain myself.

 _Ugh, Daniel, where are you?_ I thought anxiously.

It wasn't long after when I saw him and Shane talking in the middle of the hall, just a few feet from where I was. Also, it was fairly easy to hear what they were saying.

"This is gonna be an awesome Smackdown, Shane."

"Indeed, Daniel. Including Bray Wyatt's celebration, Becky Lynch will find out her next opponent for our next Pay-Per View, Imigie will have a match against Carmella—"

"Oh, speaking of that, about what happened last week—"

"What the hell was she thinking? To just walk out like that on the show? She went from quite kind and cheerful to suddenly turned into that when you and Renee asked her about Maryse. You really gotta—"

"I don't think I want to go that far, Shane. She was making her debut and then she gets humiliated by the wife of my old mentor. I mean, yes, it was kinda abrupt that she just left after being frustrated over that situation but I can understand her pain. She really didn't deserve to be humiliated like that."

"Daniel, I understand what you mean but that's just wrong of her. She's lucky she didn't try to destroy anything or try to attack anyone. But honestly, you need to get her—"

"No, Shane. I think she just needs time to recuperate before her match. And actually, I was gonna find her to try to give her some tough love. She'll need it."

Just after I heard him say that, I continued forward, wondering how I could get them to turn to me.

"Um, hey," I said in a rather small voice.

It was enough for Shane and Daniel to turn to me. Shane looked a little less than pleased while Daniel had a sympathetic look on his face.

"Oh, Imigie, I was just telling Shane that I was going to look for you," Daniel smiled.

"I was actually looking for you," I replied.

Daniel turned to Shane who still didn't looked very pleased to be in my presence. I didn't know why though.

"We'll discuss this later," Daniel said, turning to Shane.

Shane walked away without saying a word as Daniel turned to me.

"Sorry about him," Daniel apologized.

"It's fine," I replied, smiling.

Remembering why I went to him put a serious expression on my face. The exact same agonizing feeling in my chest that I felt last week during Talking Smack came back, but this time, it was more aggressively. It was so brutally foreign to me but I fought the urge to cry.

"Daniel," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "I'm really sorry about walking out last week on Talking Smack. I'm just going through a lot. Especially with what's happened after Maryse decided to cower away from facing me. I don't know she did what she did—"

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "I'll make sure he won't reprimand you. Just keep your head up as you prepare for your match."

He didn't say anything else as he walked away. I didn't feel completely convinced that I would have the capability to not think about what happened during my match but Daniel already made up his mind. He was concerned about telling Shane to not reprimand me. But honestly, why would Shane want to reprimand me in the first place?

I didn't even know but regardless, I was determined to find the answer, as soon as possible.

*Sami Zayn's POV*

Being the new arrival to Smackdown was an honor and I was willing to prove myself that I was able to translate what I did on Raw, onto Smackdown.

I was heading for my match when I suddenly heard voices, sounding not too far from where I was.

I went ahead and hid behind a stack of cardboard boxes to listen a little more clearly.

"Shane, I really hope you make the right decision."

"I know the right decision, Daniel. And it's gonna be put down on paper—"

"No. You have to think about it. If you were in her shoes, wouldn't you feel just as mentally drained as she is? Because of that, it's understandable why she was frustrated to the point when she walked out on Talking Smack. I just hope you make the right decision and you realize that it's not just business."

I heard a heavy sigh before I heard another word.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and give her a pass. I'm giving her a pass because of her talent. I just hope Maryse doesn't try to get inside of her head again."

That gave me a sudden click on who they were talking about. They were talking about Imigie, the new girl who came up from NXT. And I remembered seeing what had happened last week.

Remembering the events made me feel sad for her.

I walked out of my hiding place, unable to hide the hint of sadness in my eyes, mostly for Imigie.

"Hey Sami," I heard Daniel say.

I jumped in surprise when Daniel appeared next to me. I was only going to head for my match.

"Oh, hey Daniel," I smiled. "I overheard you and Shane talking about something. Something about the new girl from NXT."

"Oh yes," he said. "Imigie, she's had a bit of a rough moment after being attacked by Maryse. I was wanting Shane to not reprimand her over walking out on Smackdown. Most of it is because she was attacked out of nowhere. Shane agreed to not do it after multiple times of me trying to convince him."

I nodded understandably. However at the same time, I was shocked to hear this.

I knew Shane was trying to make Smackdown the land of opportunity. However, this time, it seemed like he was making it the land of reprimanding people who he might have been skeptical for.

All I could do was hang my head, maybe I could find this new girl to give her some kind words. Maybe she would appreciate it. That was all I could hope for.


	7. Retaliation

*Imigie's POV*

It was the next episode of Smackdown and I had already been aware about my match against Carmella, which was after Tyler Breeze verses Aiden English.

The atmosphere felt like it was getting colder here and I was sure it wasn't because someone decided to turn the air conditioner now. This kind of cold felt like a warning, like it was haunting me. Was I really in for another possible attack during my match? Would I be able to retaliate?

Those thoughts rang inside of my head, just when I saw Tyler pin Aiden for the win on the small television screen. The crowd cheered as Fandango came to his side, hugging his tag team partner.

I just laughed a little. Breezango were quite the funny tag team. I couldn't deny that. It was one thing to keep my mind distracted from my worries about possibly being attacked again.

It wasn't long before my music hit and I had walked into the arena, coming to a thunderous roar of cheers. They knew that the result for this match would be the same result that happened last week.

Also, I had just realized that this would actually be my first match against a woman on the main roster. Hell, I was suppose to have that last week but Maryse cowering away then attacking me told me more than enough. However, I was sure that she wasn't finished with her dirty work.

After climbing into the ring, I positioned myself, as if I were ready to charge. I was anxious for Carmella to come out, just so that we could get this match through and kill it.

At that instant, all of my worries and fears disappeared. I was entirely focused on my match. I ignored my fast beating heart, determined to start the match.

"F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!"

The crowd booed when I saw a tall woman with wavy blonde hair coming into the arena. This had to be Carmella. I was sure of it.

I just smirked, sure that taking her out wouldn't be too difficult. I didn't say easy though because I had always hated being overconfident. I knew overconfidence was dangerous. Cockiness was worse for me. Being cocky was basically a ticket for you to lose your match, hence why I never saw any value in being cocky, like Carmella.

Much to my surprised, I was quite calm and collected, maybe it was because I put my focus on the upcoming match. Nothing else would distract my mind from it.

I turned to the timekeeper who was about to ring the bell when I was suddenly knocked down, face first on the mat.

At the same time, Carmella's music turned off while I turned to see who was attacking me this time. And for damn sure, I wasn't surprised.

Maryse. Again.

However, instead of losing it and going ballistic and berserk like I did last week, I managed to get back on my feet then fought back. The crowd got on their feet and cheered as I exchanged punches with Maryse.

Instead of me going down, I was going to show Maryse that it was her turn to go down. She would try to counter but I would be one step ahead of her.

I noticed that Carmella was gone. I assumed she ran out while I was keeping my focus on Maryse.

I turned my attention back to Maryse who slapped me on the cheek. The impact caused a stinging pain on my cheek.

The crowd gasped at the impact but I made sure they wouldn't worry.

Instead of giving in to the pain, I just gave a smirk at Maryse, almost chuckling at her. That meant one thing.

Maryse had chose to mess with the wrong woman. It was clear that she was underestimating me because of my size. She chose to underestimate me because she thought I was weak. It was clear that she hadn't seen my matches last week.

Thinking quickly, I lifted Maryse and positioned her for the torture rack submission.

The crowd cheered as Maryse screamed in pain. I only held on for about five seconds before positioning her for a Samoan drop.

And just like that, it happened. I gave her the Samoan drop. The crowd's cheers were louder than ever. They knew what I was up to.

 _Take that, Maryse_ , I thought. _You think I'm weak? You thought wrong. I'm a fighter._

My music played as I raised my fist in the air with a smile on my face. Such sweet retaliation. I may have been the one knocked out, nearly in tears but this time, I wasn't going to give in.

After falling in the hands of Maryse last week, this week I woke up from the nightmare I was in. I opened up my eyes with a new ring of revenge.

A referee handed me a microphone as my music stopped playing. The crowd was now chanting my name, maybe ready for me to speak again since what happened last week.

"Maryse," I said rather slowly and boldly. "You thought I was weak? You thought you could underestimate me? You thought wrong, honey. I am a fighter!"

The crowd cheered before I said one final sentence, one that maybe the crowd will get riled up over.

"However, if you're still not convinced, I will say this, I want a match against you a Backlash so that you'll see how much I fight!"

I stopped the microphone as the crowd cheered and my music played at the same time. I just smiled as I climbed out of the ring. I didn't lose it like I did last week. I was quite confident.

The entire situation taught me one thing. If you get knocked down, don't give up when it happens again. Fight back and you'll take the win. It doesn't matter how much the first time breaks you mentally, fight through your pain, and then get your ass up to fight again.


	8. Speaking Volumes

*Maryse's POV*

It was now Talking Smack and I was furious. I thought I would be so clever to attack her again but she had other plans.

She somehow knew that I would try to attack her again like I did last time but she wasn't going to let me budge this time. She was smart and that frustrated me.

Renee Young was about to introduce me so that I could say what I needed to say.

"And now, possibly speaking of beef between two people over what one person stands for, let me introduce to you our next guest, Maryse."

She and Daniel Bryan turned to me, both with a questioning expression on their faces.

"Maryse, you had an intention to attack Imigie again but it didn't go exactly like you planned," Renee said, gesturing to me. "But first, tell us what exactly sparked this feud between you and Imigie. And I'm positive that Imigie did not do anything—"

"Okay Renee, you need to shut up for a moment, will you?" I snapped. "I'll tell you why I have an issue with Imigie. It's like she's another one to take over this division. First it was Becky Lynch, next was Alexa Bliss, next was Naomi, next was Paige, and now it's Imigie who thinks shoving this whole—"

I squared my shoulders then put up my best impersonation of Imigie as I could.

"'I fought my way to get to the top so everyone should like me.'"

I shook my head as I leaned back against my seat, the thoughts swimming violently in my head.

"Bull!" I snapped. "Is Imigie a must-see superstar in the women's division?"

Renee and Daniel turned to each other, looks of disgust showing on their faces. It was easy to see that they didn't agree with me. They probably thought that the new girl would bring so much potential to the women's division when I was determined to push her out of the way.

"Actually, it's not up for discussion!" I said, flipping my hair at Renee, tired of her questions. "My husband doesn't even think that Imigie is a must-see superstar in the women's division. She'll get exactly what she deserves."

I looked at my painted finger nails, something to distract me from hearing the questions, the same question that all the fans had for me. However, I realized that it wouldn't end peacefully.

"Maryse, I hope that you're aware that Imigie did challenge you to a match at Backlash," Daniel said. "She made it pretty clear that she wants it—"

"Daniel, I am aware of that," I sighed, rolling my eyes in annoyance. "If she wants her challenge, then she can have her challenge but that doesn't mean that she'll stand tall when I'm around to defeat her."

I blew a kiss to Renee and Daniel then walked out, a sassy smirk on my face, proud of what I said.

If either of them protested at all, I didn't listen. I was too focused on the now upcoming match against Imigie. Surely, she was short and tiny so taking her out would be little to no issue, at least that was what I thought.

Or was it really that wise to underestimate her because of everything she had done in her journey to be on Smackdown?

I pondered about this as I headed backstage. Perhaps I should turn my cocky side on to make my husband proud. The more I thought about that, the better idea it sounded.


	9. Ringing Idea

*Maryse's POV*

It was now two weeks until Backlash as I was now on commentary during Imigie's match against Mickie James. I was beginning to hope that Mickie would win. Imigie had no use attempting to win because she would get her first step to losing her match against me.

The thought of such a thing happening made me curl my lips into a smile. It was bound to happen sooner or later. At least I was sure of it.

I turned to see The Miz, my husband whose real name was Mike, who was close by, talking to another superstar. He looked to be a bit shorter but rather muscular.

I perked up my ears, thinking that they would talk about possibly going up against each other. Instead, it was about a topic I personally never expected.

"I think your wife has some plans," the man said. "Given how she was the past few weeks. Especially last week on Talking Smack—"

"Hold on a minute, Monty. You know that she's doing everything she can to make sure that the other girl won't take another step in the spotlight."

"I think it was out of the line on Maryse's part, Miz. Imigie has done nothing wrong but show that she's ready. Didn't you and your wife forget that Imigie was in NXT for almost four years? And given that she was very much ready for a title shot at least six months into her NXT run, she didn't even win that title until two years later. Even one of her closest friends, who came to NXT about a year after she did can agree that she went through a lot to build herself up. I think you need to give her credit for it."

"Montague, she is not a must see star in the women's division. Even she believes she didn't totally defeat Asuka, despite winning the title. Her subtle doubts will definitely be something I see some preying on."

"That's usually covered by her willingness to fight, regardless of what happens. Remember past week? She was suppose to face your wife but then she cowered away. That's why Toby had to cover for her."

I almost smirked at the memory. It was one time when inter-gender one-on-one match had to happen. Toby was quite intriguing in the ring. That was a plus that I could give.

I just listened more carefully as both men exchanged words about me and Imigie.

"Hello, that says nothing about what I had said," Mike grumbled. "I overheard that Imigie really doesn't believe that she truly defeated Asuka, despite holding that title until Nikki Cross took it from her two days before she debuted."

"Preying on her doubts is a bad idea. You shouldn't underestimate her and neither should your wife."

"I'm done here, Montague!"

Mike just walked away from the man who he was talking to then was heading towards me. I smiled when I watched him do so.

However, a thought came to my head. Maybe I could actually prey on Imigie's doubts and encourage the other girls to do the same. I could just all the times she had doubted herself.

I already heard about her victory against Asuka which had me thinking why would Imigie think that she hadn't truly beaten Asuka. Was it because of how many times she became really close to losing the match? Or was it because she said it's not about beating Asuka, it's about winning the prize you've fought for for a long time?

Before I could pull these thoughts together, I noticed Mike was already behind me. Now it was time for me to tell him my idea.

"Oh, Mike!" I smiled, hugging him. "I have a good idea."

Mike gave me his undivided attention. I whispered something to his ear, smiling with every word I said. It was going to be something that would only be kept between me and him. No one else would hear such a thing.

Mike seemed rather surprised by what I had said but still quite pleased. This meant that my plan would carry out quite well without any interruptions.  
All I had to do was to not say a single word about it to the other girls because if that happened, someone would try to save Imigie which I didn't want to happen. Hell, I didn't even want any of the guys to know, well, probably Montague partially knew about Imigie's doubts and such.

Mike headed down the hall as I followed him close behind, already anxious for my plan.


	10. Humiliation

Author's Note: Hey guys! Been a long time since you've seen one of these ever in any of my stories.  
Anyway, I've been kind of debating on whether to have the Mixed Match Challenge in this or to put it in its own book, kinda like I did with my Pain Within story from years ago for a bit because I know that comes before Mania 34.  
I ultimately decided that it would be in its own story. Even though in some ways, it may be canon with a lot of the feuds but in reality, most of very likely isn't canon with the feuds and such. Some teams will be added and other things. And yes, spoiler alert, the fellow protagonist is gonna be participating in the Mixed Match Challenge. So, stay tuned for that.  
Also, I didn't really mention this but here, Road Dogg does NOT take over head of the creative. In fact, the wrestlers put down their inputs on storylines but that stuff won't be in this story.  
Anyway, here is the next chapter before I ramble any longer. Peace out!

*Third Person POV*

"Up next, we have a women's division match between Imigie and Mickie James," Mauro Ranallo said.

"Speaking of Imigie," Tom Phillips interrupted from next to him. "It seems like Maryse has a plan for her."

"I think Maryse wants to teach Imigie a lesson," JBL guessed, next to Tom.

Tom and Mauro just glared at him before one of them said a word.

"Shut up, JBL!" Tom scolded. "Imigie has done nothing but prove her worth in the division."

Silence fell between the three men for a few seconds.

"And what the hell was Montague thinking with stepping into the situation?" JBL fumed. "He should just keep to himself!"

"JBL, I don't think you realize something," Tom said, shaking his head. "The two have had quite the history in NXT. Besides, Imigie has had multiple intergender matches and there are some of the guys who actually seem to show some compassion for her situation."

No one said another word after that, likely to refrain from causing an argument between the three, or more so between JBL and Tom. All they needed to know was that there was going to be a women's division match. That was was going to be between Mickie James and Imigie. Nothing else mattered at this point except for the match.

*Imigie's POV*

My theme song played as I smiled to the crowd, ready for my match. I had to push everything that Maryse had done to me out of my head so that I would be able to focus. The scars that she left on me were still pretty raw and fresh but as long as I let that build me up, I would be okay.

"The following contest is a women's division match, scheduled for one fall. Approaching the ring, from Austin, Texas, Imigie!"

The smile on my face grew as I continued down the ramp then quickly got into the ring. I positioned myself to be ready for the match.

My music turned off as I waited patiently for my opponent to show up. I still had a feeling that Maryse still had an eye on me, due to the fact that she still carried a lot of beef against me.

New music came on but instead of Mickie James, who I was suppose to face, there came Maryse. With her was her husband, The Miz.

My felt my body tense up over seeing them coming down the ramp. I was suppose to have a match and then suddenly, Maryse decides to pull this off.

Maryse's music turned off and I noticed that she had a microphone in her hand. My eyes widened at the sight and I hoped she would get out soon so that I could start on my match against Mickie.

"Oh, hi Imigie," Maryse said, waving at me.

I didn't wave back. I just stood there in utter disbelief.

"So, I have a little something to show you," Maryse continued. "You'll like it. And my husband helped me with it."

She turned to the titantron.

"Cue the video!" she ordered.

A very familiar video showed on the titantron and my eyes went wider than a plate. There was me, holding the NXT Women's Championship, interviewing the cameraman just minutes before my match.

"Your thoughts about winning the NXT Women's Championship?" The cameraman asked.

I could see from the video that I tensed up a bit at the mention of this.

"Asuka gave me one hell of a fight," I said from in the video. "But, there's something that has been nagging my mind for a while. Asuka almost defeated me and I almost couldn't hold on any longer. Even though I got the NXT Women's Championship, I truly believe that I didn't truly defeat Asuka. She is my toughest opponent and no one could match her."

The video stopped as I saw Maryse, in the video walk down then stopped in surprise. Her hand covered her mouth and her eyes were wide with shock.

"Oh my!" Maryse gasped in mock shock. "Imigie believes that she truly didn't defeat Asuka? Well, here's a test. If she's ready for me, then she'll be ready for Asuka."

She blew a kiss before speaking again.

I just watched, feeling absolutely horrified at what I was seeing.

"But, if Imigie isn't ready for Maryse," Maryse continued from in the video. "She won't be ready for Asuka. Imigie is not the IT superstar. I am. Think Imigie can stand and fight and bring Searing Sorrow up here? Nope! Looks like little Miss Imigie will be swallowed up in her own sorrow."

She blew yet another kiss before the video ended. Boos rang all over the arena from the crowd. I could hear someone laughing from behind me but I didn't turn to see who it was laughing at me. All I was concerned was what I was thinking when I saw that.

My mouth hung open in horror when I saw this. All I wanted to do was to push those thoughts behind me but this was too far.

It wasn't long before I was pushed down to the mat of the ring. Dazed and surprised, I looked up to see Maryse and The Miz standing, laughing at me.

I could already feel the tears forming from my eyes and I knew exactly what was going on. Maryse and The Miz teamed up to humiliate me like this, and I was the one to suffer.

I just crawled to the nearest turnbuckle but much to my dismay, the couple followed me, still laughing at me. At this point, I couldn't leave. They would follow me.

I didn't even know what hurt me more: the humiliation or the pain of Maryse pushing me down. I just knew that she preyed on my doubts that I had long since pushed away.

Maryse pulled me up from the turnbuckle and positioned me for that familiar finisher that I had seen her use before, the French Kiss DDT.

Before she could actually do it, a sudden familiar song played and the crowd cheered loudly.

Maryse dropped me in surprise then I quickly backed away to the ropes to keep my attention to who was actually coming, even though the commentators were already shouting it.

"Oh my god! Is it really? Is it him?"

"It's Douglas Montague from NXT! What is he doing here?"

I didn't hold back the smile on my face when I saw a man with brown hair and brown eyes running down the ramp and got into the ring to attack The Miz. I definitely recognized who it was.

Douglas Montague, my best friend, was here just two weeks before Backlash. I didn't even see him backstage so to see him here was a big surprise.

It was at that moment that I realized that I had to pick myself up and fight again. I couldn't cower away. Especially not like this.

I quickly got up to my feet then began to attack Maryse. I wasn't going to allow her to humiliate me like this ever again. And she was NOT going to create an absurd plan like using my doubts of my match against Asuka as something to pit against me.

I was about to deliver a punch to Maryse when Maryse came quicker and kicked me down to the ground. My chest felt heavy as I watched Maryse taunting me. She did this until Douglas scared her and The Miz away out of the ring.

I slowly sat up then curled myself in a ball, rocking back and forth as the memory of what had just happened replayed in my head. It wore on my mind greatly and it was a bit before I got back up on my feet, just to see that Douglas was gone. Something told me that he went after The Miz or something.

I didn't want to bother chasing after him so I decided that I would just find somewhere private to to attempt to recuperate or at least try to process everything.

I got out of the ring and walked up the ramp, my head down due to my mental state. I just couldn't muster up the courage to look up. I was too wrapped up in my own pain to do so.

"Imigie rocks!" the crowd chanted.

I slowly looked up at the crowd with a sad smile on my face as I headed for backstage.

When I was backstage, my smile faded completely and I was looking down again. Never did I imagine that I would be humiliated like this. I absolutely hated it.

My mind suddenly felt numb, like I didn't know what to feel anymore. Sure, I was happy that Douglas came to the scene but the humiliation and pain overshadowed the happiness.

I dropped to my knees then crawled towards a crowd of soundboards to hide myself there. I curled myself into a ball then began to feel my shoulders shaking.

Was I really this overwhelmed by the humiliation done by the called "It Couple?" I wasn't entirely sure but gave me a horrible flashback to when Maryse first began to target me, the night when I had made my debut. Seeing the way Maryse has preyed on me was something I had never expected her to do.

"So this is how it ends," I said to myself, hardly even recognizing my own voice. "Maryse attempts to break me again but soon, karma will come to her."

So many thoughts and questions ran through my mind as I buried my face in my knees. I didn't know whether to cry or not. I didn't even know if Maryse was actually trying to tell me something, or perhaps, foreshadowing a future rematch between me and Asuka when I would actually truly lose.

It began to haunt me. Even Nikki Cross, who I had lost the NXT Women's Championship to, didn't even prey on me like this. I was sure that Maryse had been watching my NXT feud with Asuka. It wouldn't have been surprising for her to possibly figure out that I had actually almost lost against Asuka. The thought caused my shoulders to shaking even more as I rocked myself back and forth, fighting back tears.

This was almost a kind of feeling I remembered having after my entire ordeal with my old ally Janalyn. She, who was currently on Raw, had stabbed me in the back in NXT all because I refused to allow her to cheat. That began to haunt me.

"If this is how it's gonna be, I'm not sure if I'll ever be the same again," I muttered in a shaky voice. "It might hit me so bad that even Douglas might not be able to crack my pain."

All I knew was that Maryse and The Miz had humiliated me and now I was the one to suffer in the back. I hated it but it was my reality. Maryse hated the fact that I was making my way up the ranks to possibly get a title shot in the future so humiliating me was the way for me to step down.

"If I lose this match, I'll never be the same again," I muttered sadly. "And I'll never be able to unsee what Maryse showed me earlier."

I didn't even look up to see if anyone heard me or not. I was sure that no one heard me because of how quiet I was. Even if someone heard and asked me, I found it hard to describe my current state of mind. And I had a feeling that I was in line for Talking Smack tonight. Only this time, there was no frustration.

I suddenly began to feel a raw stinging pain in my heart and I already knew why.

I began to question if I was really strong enough to fight back against the kind of pain that Maryse had put me through. Was I able to pull through or did Maryse already crack me through?

The thoughts only made it worse and at that point, I was close to crying. It was brutal to realize that I was forced into this state of mind.

"Are you okay?"

I slowly looked up to see Douglas Montague standing by me with a sympathetic look in his eyes. I had to be honest with him because he read me like a book that he knew very well of.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

Douglas took a seat beside me then took my hand.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said quietly. "You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to. Just tell me what you're able to tell me."

"Maryse and The Miz," I muttered, shuddering. "They... they've broken through me... I won't be able to... unsee what they showed me..."

I questioned my choice of words but it was the best I could put it. I couldn't say another word at that point so I buried my face in my knees again.

I felt Douglas pull me close to him in a comforting hug. I wanted to smile at his actions but I couldn't. I was too wrapped up into everything that had happened.

"Maryse..." I said, burying my face in Douglas' shoulder. "She's done this ever since I came here..."

"It'll be okay, Imi," Douglas whispered. "I know you're having a hard time grasping this situation but I'm right here. It's like back in NXT, after Janalyn betrayed you. I'll always have your back."

I found myself smiling but it was a small smile.

"You know, I know you're due for Talking Smack tonight but if you're not feeling up to talking about it, I can fill in for you and be like a witness," Douglas suggested.

I looked up, pondering at this. It was a nice offer for him to try to help me, considering that we had known each other since our NXT days. I knew he wanted to try to help me over my sudden breakdown but at the same time, I didn't want to cower away from speaking up about it. There was only one more Smackdown until Backlash and I was determined to keep my head up, even though I was very pained on the inside.

"No," I said weakly. "I have to. They'll need to hear what I have to say."

Douglas seemed to understand as he pulled me closer to him. I welcomed the comfort and hoped it would be enough to make me more stable for when I had to speak on Talking Smack. The last thing I wanted was for Shane McMahon to think of plans to possibly throw me on Raw or something.

Even though my face was buried in Douglas' chest, I could tell that it hurt him to see me in this state. Hell, it probably even hurt him after the past times Maryse attacked me.

"Don't try to isolate yourself like that again," Douglas said. "It hurts to watch you like this. One of my friends actually told me about what was going to happen. That's why I ran out to the rescue before Maryse hit you with that French Kiss."

I looked up, my eyes widening in surprise. Never did I expect for him to show up at all, let alone hear what was going to happen and then come to my rescue before Maryse would push me down again.

"Who told you?" I asked.

"Montague," Douglas replied. "Miz actually told him that tampering with your doubts on your victory against Asuka would be a good idea. Montague told him it wasn't but Miz didn't listen to him. Then he saw Miz and Maryse looking a little too enthusiastically. Turns out that Maryse eavesdropped on Miz and Monty and then Monty eavesdropped on Miz and Maryse. I was already gonna debut anyway and I was gonna just have a match but when I heard about that stuff, there was no way I was going to just not come out. Besides, I'm not just saying this just because I'm your best friend."

He took my hand then squeezed it tightly, enough to give me a sense of comfort.

"I'm saying this because I've seen your journey in NXT," he continued. "I've watched your struggles. I mean, you've been through so much and I'm glad that I could help you through all of that as well as others."

He wrapped an arm around me, making me feel a lot better than before.

"And, when I saw that you almost would've lost the match against Asuka, I was terrified," he said. "But, in the end, you managed to pull yourself together to win. I know that you started to doubt about you having her where you wanted her but regardless, you held the NXT Women's Championship title. That's something to be proud of."

I smiled weakly at him as he planted a soft kiss on my forehead. The kiss though made me feel even better, even though I still felt quite bad from earlier.

Ever since I first met Douglas in NXT (he had debuted about six months after me), he had been like a mentor to me. Even though I was already considered a pretty good wrestler, Douglas helped me improve. He was only about three years older than me but he helped me through a lot in the business which I admired greatly.

"I guess that's true," I replied with a sad smile. "But I'll admit, Asuka was tough. No wonder why I almost lost against her during that match."

He just chuckled a little as he hugged me again as I hugged him back. This was definitely making me feel happier after the shit I went through earlier.

Douglas let me go then eyed me, his expression was full of concern. I already had a feeling on what he would ask me.

"Are you sure you'll be... okay to speak on Talking Smack?" he asked. "I just really care for you and I don't want you to fall into another breakdown like you had when you first spoke on there."

I looked down for a moment, pondering if I was really okay or not. I was sure I was but maybe I really wasn't and everything that went on earlier with Maryse humiliating me greatly wore on my mental state. Despite this, I was determined to speak about what happened because being silent would do nothing. Plus, the WWE Universe would be left in the dark and putting them in that dilemma would be the worst thing for me to do.

I looked up at Douglas, eyes rather hopeful but still with a slight hint of sorrow.

"I'll be fine," I answered quietly. "Besides, I can't just leave the WWE Universe in the dark if I don't say anything on my state of mind."

Douglas nodded, seemingly understanding what I had said as I slowly got up to my feet. I was ready for Talking Smack and this time, I wasn't going to walk out. Instead, I would try to collect my thoughts together. Sure, it would be painful to remember the humiliation that Maryse put me through but if I didn't give my word, I would get several looks of concern over that they'd have no idea what was up.

I was just about to leave when I heard Douglas call my name. I turned back to him, almost positive that he would say something along the lines of "good luck" or anything but much to my surprise, something completely different came out.

"I meant to tell you this earlier but you were pretty deep in your broken state of mind so I let it rest until you got a little better," he said. "Anyway, Monty and a few others have told me they've been hearing rumblings of something called a Mixed Match Challenge. It would start a little after Christmas or something. And, well, I'm not sure if it's gonna be confirmed soon or anything but it's looking like it will be set in stone."

My eyes lit up when I heard this. I always found mixed tag matches to be fun and they were my strongest type of tag matches.

"And honestly, if it is true," Douglas continued, chuckling a little. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were in the match. You always seem to excel with mixed tag matches."

I just laughed a little. He wasn't wrong though. I remembered being involved in a lot of mixed tag matches in the indies and even quite a few of them in NXT.

I then smiled at Douglas before turning to head for Talking Smack.

"I'll see you after Talking Smack," I said.

"Good luck," he replied.

It was now time for Talking Smack. Having to remember what went down was painful enough but I let Douglas' words comfort me. I just quietly walked down the backstage hall until I noticed the same setup for Talking Smack with Daniel and Renee as the hosts. It was almost time.


	11. Remember Pain

*Third Person POV*

"And now, we have something to discuss concerning our next guest," Renee said to the camera standing quite a distance from her and Daniel Bryan. "Things have been getting quite heated between Maryse and Imigie."

She turned to her co-host, eyes narrowing.

"You have anything to say, Daniel?"

"Well, after attempting to get to my sister-in-law and her now fiancé, I really do think Maryse seems to have found her new target," he replied. "Imigie. I think Maryse feels threatened around Imigie but let's be honest here. Imigie may be short but she is not someone to underestimate. There's a reason why I chose her to be on Smackdown. She brings a whole new twist to the women's division. Maryse is likely threatened over Imigie's aura. That might explain these recent attacking and mockeries."

Renee just turned to the camera, deciding that she had heard enough. She quickly fixed her hair before looking up to the camera.

"And speaking of that, we have our next guest, Imigie."

She and Daniel turned to see the short raven-haired woman coming in, taking a seat next to Renee. However, they noticed something different about her. There was a hint of sadness in the young woman's eyes, something that caught Renee completely off guard for a moment.

After Imigie was settled in her seat, Renee was ready to ask the questions. She hoped that Imigie wouldn't react the same way she did the last time she was on Talking Smack. It hurt Renee to see the young woman seem so upset and she didn't want to say anything wrong this time, if she thought she said anything wrong.

"Imigie, we have a lot to discuss about what happened earlier," Renee said, turning to the twenty-year old woman. "You were suppose to face Mickie James today but then you were interrupted by Maryse..."

She paused, trying to figure out how to word the next part without upsetting her friend. Her heart hammered in her chest as she thought hard of what to say. After about ten seconds, she looked up at Imigie.

"Well... the rest pretty much speaks for itself."

She waited for Imigie's response to what she had said. Much to her surprise, Imigie just gave a small smile and nodded. At the same time, Renee felt relieved that Imigie didn't completely break down.

"If you want, you can speak about Douglas Montague's sudden appearance during all that went on first," Daniel suggested.

"No need," the raven-haired woman replied, her voice sounding like she was trying to hide the obvious pain and sorrow in it. "I'll make sure I won't overreact or anything. That was on me. I was just frustrated over what Maryse has decided to do."

Renee looked surprised that Imigie also seemed a bit more confident, despite the slight sorrow in her eyes and her in voice. Regardless, she just gestured to the twenty-year old to go on.

"I don't really know how Maryse managed to pull that together but I know for sure that she's going too far," Imigie said, her voice turning hard. "Maybe in the future, Asuka and I will settle who's truly the one ready for the other. Maryse needs to stay out of that. She's quite threatened over that I am simply put here to do one thing. That is to fight to win—" Her voice began to soften and the sadness in it was more evident. "Even when I'm in pain whether if it's physical, mental, or emotional. However..."

The young woman just let out a sad sigh as she looked down. Renee could see that she looked like she was close to tears, and it hurt to see her like this.

Daniel looked almost as equally concerned when he saw the expression on the newest Smackdown female draftee's face. This was the first woman from NXT he had called up since the recent draft who he saw had so much potential. Seeing her look so sunken and low in spirits hurt him greatly.

"Maryse really did the damage," the Smackdown draftee continued. "I'm not afraid to admit that. She went that low to do such a thing and to be honest, I don't want to remember it. I don't want to be reminded of that. All I want to remember is that I finally won the NXT Women's Championship. However, I'll make one thing clear."

She paused again before looking up with a serious expression on her face.

"Maryse can break me like that all she wants but in the end, I will show that she was wrong to underestimate me and to feel threatened over my message," she finished, her voice turned hard again.

Renee and Daniel turned to each other then nodded, understanding everything Imigie had said. They were now ready to ask her the second golden question.

"Imigie?" Renee said, turning to her. "We now have another thing to ask which a lot of people are wondering as well. This is concerning Douglas Montague's sudden appearance for the save when Maryse attacked you, while having The Miz with her—"

"Don't ask," Daniel interrupted. "I'm sure she'll have an easy answer for that."

"Douglas came at the right time," Imigie said with a small smile on her face. "Had he not come in, Maryse pretty much would've left me in the exact same state that she left me in after my first match on Smackdown. Then again, he is my best friend. He's been that since our NXT days. He knows about the times that I've been humiliated. As for who told him about what was going on with me, I don't know. I don't know who told him but he did do what was best. Stopping Miz from urging Maryse to carry on her assault."

She let out a sad sigh before changing her expression again. This time, her expression turned into a mix of anger, determination, and even a sliver bit of pain, especially in her eyes.

"Maryse just proved that she's a coward," she continued. "She's done more than enough to damage me and underestimate me. It won't be long until she finds out that I am not someone who should be underestimated. And going as low as using my doubts about my match against Asuka shows that she doesn't have very much to prove that she is ready for a fight. She isn't."

She looked down, her expression turning to anguish again. It pained Renee to see her friend look so stricken with sorrow. She just placed a hand for her shoulder for comfort.

"It'll haunt me for a long time," the twenty-year old woman said sadly. "But in the end, she won't know what's coming."

She gave a small smile before leaving the area, leaving Renee quite surprised. Renee had never seen her so conflicted in her emotions over what had happened.

"Let's just say that ended on a better note than last time," Daniel said.

Renee nodded in agreement as she turned to the camera. She and Daniel were silent for a moment before one of them spoke again.

"I think Imigie is ready to settle this face to face with Maryse," Daniel said. "I won't be surprised if it was next week."

Renee turned to Daniel then nodded in agreement. She knew that this time, Imigie was ready to get to the root of the issue. It would at least give Maryse one more chance to woman up before their upcoming match at Backlash.


	12. Brawl

**Hey guys! It's me again! I know it's been quite a long time since you guys last saw an update from this story and I apologize for that. I know recently, I've been sidetracked with writing oneshots on as well as focusing on college stuff. I hope I can update this often but we'll see.**

 **Recently, I've been getting a kick out of writing in third person with my stories recently so I might just have most of them in third person (likely having Faith's Nightmare and Creeper as exceptions but dunno) for now on. Expect a lot of that in this story because this one is going to be a long story.**

 **Expect at least over a hundred chapters for this because the cutoff for this will be WrestleMania. It'll be interesting!**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)**

 **...**

*Third Person POV*

Douglas Montague was alone in the hall, waiting for his friend to come out from Talking Smack. He wasn't sure if it would end well or if it would leave her in the same state that it did in the past few times.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps and he began to feel his hopes rise a little. It unfortunately was short lived when he saw it was Maryse who made her way to him. The death glare on her face though slightly startled him but he didn't want to show it.

"What the hell do you want?" asked Douglas as he stood up.

"Why?" she spluttered. "You just came out to save your friend? What the hell, dude? That's gonna be your purpose from now on, isn't it?"

Douglas was far from amused when he heard this but despite being taller than her, he stood straight and gave her a calculating glare. He wasn't going to fool around with her assumptions today.

"Like you're the one to talk," he said sarcastically. "You have your husband out here as an assistant to humiliate my friend. I will never stand by your foolery."

Maryse scoffed then rolled her eyes. She didn't very much like to be insulted by someone who didn't even match her husband's stances.

She placed her hands on her hips then looked at Douglas straight in the eyes. She had the expression on her face as if she were going to make herself clear and she wouldn't want to be told any different.

Douglas shuddered a bit at Maryse's expression but he refused to show that he was actually intimidated by her. He preferred being more subtle when it came to him showing fear.

"You're asking for a mixed tag match to happen if you keep this up," said the blonde French Canadian superstar. "Soon enough, you'll wish you never came around for that purpose. And also, you'll be watching your friend lose come Backlash. I'll be the first to laugh and—"

She was suddenly shoved down to the floor by an angry Imigie who came out of the Talking Smack room. The two women were now in a rather heated brawl as they exchanged punches to each other, each punch getting harder than the last.

"Stick your damn nose to yourself!" shouted Imigie as she shoved Maryse to the wall.

Maryse managed to gather strength to get up and shove Imigie to the table, causing the raven-haired woman to gasp in surprise. However, regardless of what Maryse tries to do, it was Imigie who ended up with the upper hand. She kicked Maryse down then continued to cause damage, often switching between punching and kicking Maryse.

Douglas watched in absolute shock and at first, he didn't know what to do. He didn't consider himself an expert in stopping a brawl between two rather vehement women so he had to consider his options.

Just before he was about to put himself in the middle, Imigie did let go of Maryse. Maryse was in complete shock while Imigie was oddly smirking, something that Douglas found rather amusing because at first glance, Imigie would've likely been seen as the serious type. However, he had learned that she could occasionally have a more humorous side when she wanted to.

Everything grew silent and the atmosphere around the three superstars felt rather tense. No one even said a word as Imigie got up to her feet.

Douglas kept a careful glaze to his friend who gave a calculating stare at Maryse. It was the kind of stare that showed that Imigie somehow knew what was going on in Maryse's head but she kept respectfully silent for a few more seconds.

"That was just a warning for what's to come at Backlash, Maryse," said Imigie with an almost innocent tone to her voice.

However, Douglas knew that his friend wasn't finished yet. She gave yet another calculating stare at Maryse for a few seconds. After that, she did Maryse's famous hand motion to her. It was like she was mocking Maryse to get her point across.

Douglas couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle as he was now watching the now amused expression on Imigie's face. He liked how so well composed she seemed, compared to how she was in the beginning.

She turned to walk away but Douglas decided to follow her to ask her a few questions. Of course he was used to this formed and rather sassy and shady attitude from her but he was surprised that she easily transitioned from shock to shady.

"Hey," he said, tapping his friend's shoulder to get her to stop. "I want to ask you something."

She stopped then turned to him, seemingly puzzled.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I wonder why you seemed to take a one-eighty with how you've handled the stuff concerning Maryse."

His friend's expression changed from puzzlement to amusement. It seemed to him that she was now ready to change gears on her attitude concerning her situation.

"You thought I'd be moping about this situation all the way until Backlash?" she chuckled. "You're dead wrong."

She gave her friend a friendly punch to the elbow, causing him to smirk at her. He had almost forgotten that she didn't mind losing the serious mindset a few times and the thought make him chuckle a little.

"Shit, I forgot," he said.

The twenty-year old female superstar reached up to him to give him a pat on the shoulder. It had been a while since Douglas had seen Imigie currently now in the same brand as him that he had almost forgotten how short she was.

"Not to worry," she replied. "Doesn't hinder what I do in the ring."

The two friends laughed as they departed to head to their respective locker rooms. Both were smirking as they were now reflecting on what would happen next week.

Maryse was still on the floor, rather stunned by this unexpected attack but after about a minute, The Miz has came to her rescue. No one said a word as they headed off, both of them were angry.

Miz was now sure that a certain man was going to get a beating after now realizing that soon after Backlash, the stuff between him and his wife against the best friend duo was going to get heated. He remembered the conversation earlier but he still went with these plans anyway because Maryse wanted to do anything she could to get into Imigie's head.

One man who had almost tried to put a stop to the plan. Miz was sure that this man who he spoke to earlier was likely watching closely for the absolute right time to interfere, likely causing a bit of outnumbering on Miz's end.

He shouldn't be sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and that same thing goes for the other guy who came to save Imigie, he thought as he carried Maryse to somewhere a little more private for a little personal talk.

That talk was definitely not related to what had happened but both Miz and Maryse made sure that they would discuss that next week.

It was certain that at this point, Imigie was going to present a completely different mindset of her situation with Maryse as Backlash got closer. Several questions were left unanswered for the time being. However, most of the audience who had see this WWE Exclusive surprising brawl were certain that at least a handful of their questions would be answered next week and no one doubted it one bit.


	13. Words of a Brawl

*Third Person POV*

It was one more week until Backlash. Things were already getting heated up as the whole Smackdown roster prepared themselves for a potentially heated night.

This was no exception for Maryse, who was currently pacing back and forth in the women's locker room. She was furious to say the least, concerning the brawl last week. She didn't know how Imigie was able to hear the heated conversation between her and Douglas Montague, resulting in the brawl.

The French-Canadian superstar wasn't just angry with the two best friends. She was also angry at the guy who told Douglas about her actions to the raven-haired superstar. It felt like her plans were getting interfered against. She knew that before having a face-to-face with Imigie in the ring, she was going to have a serious talk with the guy.

After a few moments, she stopped in place, deciding that it was best to find the guy who tried to foil her plans. Her lips curled into a smile, knowing that now, she was going to find him and give up a serious talk.

Maryse turned to leave the locker room, then began her search. Luckily for her, it didn't take long for her to find him.

There was Montague, back towards Maryse to the point she couldn't tell what he was doing. Maryse tapped his shoulder as an attempt to get his attention.

Montague looked up, looking surprised to see her.

"Monty, we need to talk," said Maryse in a firm tone.

Montague nodded, acknowledging that he was listening to the French-Canadian superstar.

"Why the hell do you think interfering with my plans with Imigie is cute?" snapped Maryse. "I was teaching her a lesson."

"What lesson were you teaching her?" wondered Montague. "That you're jealous of the road she was forced to take to get here?"

"That she once was an NXT Women's Champion might be one reason- "

"There was no NXT Women's Championship when you first arrived here!" interrupted Montague. "You're probably jealous because that one era is done and over."

He refused to say the word "Diva" because of its dark history in the women's division. He wanted the women to be better respected, but to him, it felt like Maryse was having none of it.

"I warned Douglas this and I'll warn you now that if you keep putting your nose where it doesn't belong, you'll be in for a mixed tag match sooner than later," said Maryse.

"I care about my friend as much as Douglas does," argued Montague. "Besides, it all started when you didn't even want to compete against her that Toby Age had to. That's some serious bold cowardice that- "

"Can you two stop?"

Maryse and Montague turned to see who it was. It was the current Smackdown Women's Champion, Becky Lynch. She was standing in the middle of the two, trying to simmer down the argument.

"Explain your situation," said Becky, turning to Maryse.

Maryse sighed.

"Monty decided it was cute to tell Douglas about my plan to Imigie last week. He tried to foil my plans."

Becky gave her a calculating look that seemed like she was inches close to judging her. After that, she shook her head.

"You know what?" she finally said. "I don't like what you did to Imigie. It was absolutely horrible to humiliate her like that. I can understand why she decided to attack you after she had Talking Smack."

She turned them walked away, leaving Maryse in absolute shock. Montague though was smiling a little too enthusiastically, given that he had just watched Maryse get told off by Smackdown Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

— — — — —

No one knew what would happen next. The audience though remained quiet so that they could pay attention. Seeing Maryse's angry state of mind and the way how she was during her confrontation with Montague was enough for them to start predicting about his involvement.

However, all thoughts were interrupted when they heard a familiar theme song. They booed immediately before the superstar was about to make her way to the ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Maryse!"

The woman in question made her way down the ramp with a smirk shown on her face. She was ready to make her statement, or at least she hoped to make her statement in full before she got interrupted. Seeing the crowd booing her amused her.

After Maryse made her way to the ring, her music stopped, but the boos kept going on. At this point, she was starting to become impatient.

"Everyone shut up!" she shouted.

"Boo!" responded the crowd.

The blonde-haired Mizanin eventually decided that it was best to deliver her statement before she completely lost her patience.

"Alright, you want to know why I'm here?" she asked.

The crowd suddenly grew silent, almost as if they were afraid of crossing her again. They already crossed her with booing, which was likely the least of their worries. Now, this was different.

She turned to the titantron, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Imigie," she said. "I'm asking you to come out here so that we can talk face-to-face like how real women should."

The crowd remained eerily silent, a few even holding their breaths until they saw their favorite raven-haired fighter. This went on for about ten seconds, still the silence gave Maryse a haunting presence that she couldn't shake off.

The crowd cheered loudly when they heard the familiar theme song play in the arena. They knew who it was.

Imigie's theme song only played for about thirty seconds before she spoke.

"Congratulations for getting me to come out here, but I think you hardly give a damn about what a real woman does. I'll tell you what a real woman does."

"And what's that?"

There was an uncomfortable silence from the two women and the audience. No one knew what would happen next nor what the blonde and the raven-haired woman would say next.

"Not run away from fresh competition for a start," answered Imigie bluntly.

"Oh, because you're so attached to your stand and fight schtick," concluded Maryse, taking a step closer to the shorter woman. "And whatever the hell the other thing is."

"You don't need to know it all, Maryse. Besides, I'll be more than pleased to show you this Sunday at Backlash."

"You're gonna regret ever saying that, Imigie. The last time they-" Maryse pointed to the audience. "Will see you for a while is when my husband and the paparazzi take glamorous pictures of me standing tall with my foot on you, all while you're too curled up in your defeat to get back up on your feet."

The younger woman chortled quietly, more than amused at the words coming from Maryse's mouth.

"Girl, I can sure as hell take the mightiest of blows. You can break my bones but, in the end, you won't be able to break my hope and my passion. So, who the hell is really the one in defeat?"

Maryse couldn't find the words in reply to Imigie. The blonde knew that her opponent meant business. She was not here for foolery or anything like that. It was so different.

"Let me demonstrate what I'm talking about," finished the raven-haired woman.

Without hesitation, she quickly punched Maryse, soon after resulting in an explosive brawl between her and Maryse. A group of four referees came to try to split up the two women from completely tearing each other apart.

The two women were shouting near obscenities to each other, but that didn't matter to either of them. Backlash was this Sunday, and they would finally get to get to the climax of their war in the ring.


End file.
